Analysis on the electrical degradation characteristics of 2G HTS wires with respect to the electrical breakdown voltages

Recently, the electrical insulation design for electrical apparatuses is important to cope with the tendency of high voltage. The degradation characteristics of a superconducting coil due to an electrical breakdown should be considered to design a high voltage superconducting coil. In this paper, the degradation characteristics of 2G high temperature superconducting (HTS) wires are studied with respect to electrical breakdown tests. To analyze the dependency of the degradation characteristics of 2G HTS wires, the electrical breakdown tests are performed with AC(alternating current) and DC(direct current) voltage. All tests are performed by applying various magnitudes of AC and DC breakdown voltages. To verify the degradation characteristics of 2G HTS wires, the tests are performed with various 2G HTS wires with respect to stabilizer materials. The degradation characteristics of 2G HTS wires, such as Ic(critical current) and index number are measured by performing electrical breakdown tests. It is found that the characteristics such as Ic and index number can be degraded by an electrical breakdown. Moreover, it is concluded that the degradation characteristics of 2G HTS wires are affected by the stabilizer material and applied voltages. The cross-sectional view of 2G HTS wires is observed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). As results, it is found that the degradation characteristics of 2G HTS wires are concerned with hardness and electrical conductivity of stabilizer layers.